A Royal Engagement movie missing scene
by RevSue
Summary: This is a scene with Joe and Clarisse I thought SHOULD have been in the second movie! G


_Disclaimer: I don't own these characters, and I make no money from this work of fiction!_

Missing Scene:

"Good night, Grandmother," With a great deal of dignity in spite of the circumstances, the young woman exited Clarisse's room.

Clarisse sighed, taking a sip of tea. She had HAD to admonish Mia. It was simply not done to be found in the closet with a young man, whether or not they were betrothed, which Mia and Lord Nicholas most certainly were NOT. Nor was it proper for her to have wandered off with him during this afternoon's fete, only to reappear dripping wet. Mia was engaged to someone else, for heaven's sake! Would the girl never learn that her position as the Princess and soon-to-be Queen of Genovia entailed a striving for elegance and duty over whim? Clarisse, herself, had managed to suppress her own desires and had learned to be quite fond of her husband Rupert in her own arranged marriage, and it was her strong commitment to duty which had made that possible. Surely Mia could do likewise, couldn't she?

Turning to Maurice, who was eying her somewhat askance, the Queen tried to smile at the big white poodle. "Well, Maurice, it's just you and I. Or are you upset with me, too?"

Instantly the dog scrambled off the cushion and was gone. Clarisse sighed as she heard the sharp, imperative bark at the door, then the whisper of movement as the guard opened the door and let the dog out. Putting down her teacup, she tightened the belt on her turquoise dressing gown, turned off the lights and went to the corner by the window to look out with her hot forehead pressed on the cool glass. Was she being too hard on her grand-daughter, expecting her to be fully accepting of her duty towards her new-found country and the chosen husband she had agreed to marry? Yet she knew it was within Mia to be a wonderful queen for Genovia. If only Clarisse could figure out how to channel that energy properly!

Clarisse's eyes strayed past the garden to the gazebo bathed in moonlight, and she thought again about Joseph and what he had said there just the other afternoon about taking their friendship out of the shadows. Dear Joseph. She had met him a month before her wedding to Rupert. Joseph had been good friends with Rupert, had agreed to be Clarisse's Head of Security at Rupert's request -- and ever since had fought the attraction he felt for his friend's intended, never letting anyone know just how he felt. For her part, Clarisse had been very attracted to Joseph when she had first met him, but she had had no idea that her feelings were reciprocated. She had thought he only liked her as he liked Rupert -- so she, too, had buried her desire for him and instead had married for duty and love of her country. In time, as she had told Mia, she had grown very fond of Rupert. And now Joseph wanted her to publicly admit that she had ... formed another attachment? Just how would the people of Genovia react to that?

The one time they had thrown caution to the wind and had loved one another fiercely and secretly had been while in America trying to convince Mia to accept her place as Genovia's princess and heiress to the throne. Six years ago tomorrow, following the Annual Independence Day celebration when Mia had agreed to be the princess, Clarisse and Joseph had come together with a passion kept in denial for far too long. Clarisse's hands clenched at her side as she relived that wonderful night.

"I have waited a lifetime to adore you like this!" he had said huskily. There had been times in the past when he had thought he would never see or touch her like this, times when he had believed he would never hold her close to him, times when he had known that life without her would not be worth living. Clarisse had never been loved with such total abandon, and a part of her had known that she was being altered, for she had felt herself expanding to him, opening her mind, her heart, her soul, for the first time in her life. She had finally known the power and the delights of being a woman, fiercely loving the man who loved her. She had known the thrill of his hands, the flames leaping within both of them, she had yielded to him, entreated him, loved him. Then she had awoken at dawn, alone, duty's cold reminder that she was not free. She was the queen.

Since then, horrified by her abandonment of her duty, Clarisse had striven to keep Joseph at arm's length. And now he was asking her to renounce that duty, to fan again the flame of desire that had had her body quaking with the deep and drugging pleasure of lovemaking. With the end of her time on the throne of Genovia in sight, Joseph had begun to push her to think again about them. And so she had promised to think about them. But how could she give him the answer he wanted -- that she was ready to be with him NOW? It simply was not possible yet. She had heeded the call of duty for too long to stop now, especially with Mia's wedding to plan! Her own hopes and dreams would just have to wait for a while longer. Now she whispered aloud, "Oh, Joseph, can I ever stop being the responsible one, and REALLY just live for myself?"

"You can if you want to," someone said huskily in her ear, crowding her against the window.

Her eyes widening and her heart suddenly racing, Clarisse turned, instinctively opening her mouth to scream, but the man's hand covered it quickly to keep her quiet. Her hands came up to his, then she recognized him in the dim light. He smiled tenderly at her, and slowly removed his hand, touching her lips softly with one finger.

"Joseph! What are you DOING?" Clarisse whispered incredulously. In all the years she had known him, he had never before invaded her privacy in her bedchambers. She was tingling all over at his nearness.

"Protecting you. The Viscount is roaming the halls. Besides, you needed a shoulder to lean on after speaking with Mia, I'm thinking." he spoke in a low tone.

"The Vi ..." Clarisse broke off that thought, not wanting to think about that man. " How did you get in here?"

"Secret passage. I've known about it for years. My very good friend Rupert told me about it so that, as your Head of Security, I could get here to protect you should it ever prove necessary. Ever since Viscount Mabrey's brother died, almost twenty years ago, he has desired you almost more than he desired the throne, which is saying a great deal. We have been watching him all these years ..."

"WHAT?" Clarisse grimaced. "Oh, Joseph, you're joking!"

"Would that I were. Please, Clarisse, watch out for him."

Clarisse shuddered again, then put the Viscount out of her mind. A secret passageway to her room! Why had Rupert never said anything to her? "How did you know I was speaking with Mia?"

"The closed circuit system, of course. You are constantly under surveillance as the Queen, as I'm sure you are aware!"

"Even in my bedroom?" Clarisse was mortified. She had never dreamt that she was so closely watched!

"Your wedding night was the hardest thing to listen to." Joseph mused, his body still pressing hers against the window. "I am forever grateful that the closed circuit TV we have now had not yet been invented or installed! I could not have endured seeing as well as hearing you with Rupert instead of with me all those years."

"WHAT?" She was horrified, and forgot to keep her voice down. "You LISTENED?" then she fell back on Mia's expression. "SHUT UP!"

The guards at the door immediately knocked, calling out, "Majesty? Is aught amiss?"

Were Joe to be discovered in there, were she to betray him and say she had not called him but rather reveal that he had entered her chambers stealthily, he would be arrested and thrown in prison ... great scandal would ensue ... possibly anarchy would result ... "I'm sorry," Clarisse called back to the guards, gripping Joseph's hands tightly. "I must have been dreaming ..."

"Very well. Good night, your majesty." and the two were alone in the dim light once more.

"Joseph, is anyone watching this now?" she demanded fiercely under her breath.

He was quick to tell her he had shut off the closed circuit TV here in her rooms before coming through the passageway to speak with her, so Lionel wouldn't catch on.

"You don't think he would notice and turn it on again?"

"This IS Lionel we're speaking of."

"True." Clarisse knew she should tell Joseph to leave her alone, but his presence was so comforting, even though she was still humiliated when she recalled that he had listened to her wedding night, and possibly all the nights after that! She thrust that thought out of her mind, thinking only of his nearness and the desire humming through her veins. Her hands cupped his cheeks lovingly. "Oh, Joseph," she whispered, longing evident in her voice, and she almost imperceptibly drew his head closer.

He put his hands on her hips, then his hands very, very slowly slid up her body and around her shoulders, and she was in his arms again. "This is not to persuade you to make up your mind about us and our future together, it's just that I can no longer help myself," he confessed as he lowered his head to hers.

"As queen ..." she began, drawing back slightly.

"You have fulfilled your queenly duties admirably. Now that Mia is marrying and taking over as Genovia's queen, you will have time to think of yourself and fulfill some of YOUR dreams. You are long past due ..." and his mouth covered hers hungrily.

Her lips moved, framing a mute objection even as she shook her head very slightly in denial. Then her eyes drifted shut as his kiss sent every rational thought out of her mind and left her drowning in a tidal wave of sensation. No one except Joseph had ever kissed her like this or made her feel quite like this. With his embrace, the years melted away. Suddenly they were young and vibrant lovers, and the flame between them became an inferno. It was a moment that seemed to last an eternity, yet ended all too quickly as Clarisse's heart slammed back into motion. What was she doing? With an effort, Clarisse put some distance between Joseph and herself, and breathlessly they stared at each other. She was still the queen, she reminded herself. However much she wanted to fall into Joseph's arms and forget everything else, she had a duty to her country and to her granddaughter.

"If the Viscount were to learn I was here, you would be disgraced and I would be hanged," Joseph said at last. "I'm leaving now before I go too far. Please, my darling, think about us SOON."

Before Clarisse could respond, he had vanished. She blinked. The bookcase was before her eyes, where for a split second she had seen a black hole. She sank into a chair and put her head in her hands, anguish pouring over her. She wanted Joseph, oh, how she wanted him! She already knew what her answer must be the next time he mentioned furthering their relationship to her, however much it would hurt both of them. But Mia must come first! Once her grand-daughter was crowned Queen, and Genovia was securely in the hands of a Renaldi ruler, THEN Clarisse would be able to finally live for herself. She truly hoped she lived that long!


End file.
